News: Microelectronics
9 April 2026
HRL’s T3L 40nm GaN-on-SiC technology achieves Manufacturing Readiness Level 6
HRL Laboratories LLC of Malibu, CA, USA (a corporate R&D lab co-owned by The Boeing Company and General Motors) says that its T3L 40nm gallium nitride (GaN) on silicon carbide (SiC) technology achieved Manufacturing Readiness Level (MRL) 6 through the US Office of the Under Secretary of War. The firm considers the milestone to represent a significant step in the maturation of its RF GaN manufacturing technology for defense and high-performance commercial applications.
MRL 6 validation confirms the manufacturability of HRL’s 40nm T3L GaN-on-SiC technology on production-relevant fabrication flows, with repeatable process control and supply chain stability in alignment with US Department of War manufacturing standards to support purchasing this technology for a variety of US government programs.
Scaling production
HRL is on-track to transition high-volume manufacturing of this technology to MACOM Technology Solutions Inc of Lowell, MA, USA (which designs and makes RF, microwave, analog and mixed-signal and optical semiconductor technologies) as announced in November 2025, while retaining low-volume engineering foundry access and support for multi-project wafer (MPW) for qualified customers.
By coupling open-access MPW capability with a scalable production partner, HRL says that it enables rapid prototyping of baseline and advanced variants of T3L GaN while simultaneously supporting high-volume manufacturing. This is all accomplished within a unified ecosystem with a low barrier to entry.
“Reaching MRL 6 and defining high-volume transition to MACOM represent decisive steps toward sustainable domestic RF GaN production,” says Dr Erdem Arkun, group manager at HRL.
Next steps
HRL has also established that the process is compatible with advanced heterogeneous integration and 3DHI (three-dimensional heterogeneous integration) architectures. This enables higher-level integration with digital control electronics, beam-forming networks and next-generation radar and communications modules, reducing system size, weight and power (SWaP) for critical defense and commercial systems.
“The GaN T3L process excels in enabling 3DHI, which drives next-generation array systems by meeting the growing demands for higher performance, compact designs and energy efficiency in advanced electronic systems,” says Dr Andrea Arias-Purdue, principal investigator at HRL.
HRL is open to leveraging this manufacturing baseline and partnering with interested entities to integrate this technology into higher-level assemblies to realize differentiating solutions and advancing technological capabilities for critical defense and commercial applications. Interested parties can e-mail ganmpw@hrl.com.
HRL foundry history
Since 2019, HRL’s open foundry has offered GaN processes to fabricate commercial and defense customer designs. The firm also offers design and high-frequency testing as a service and has a catalog of high-frequency monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs). HRL is actively fielding requests for higher-level integration and prototyping projects.
MACOM agrees exclusive license to manufacture products based on HRL’s 40nm T3L GaN-on-SiC process
